Wayne Long

Decatur ~ Wayne Long, 72, a retired rancher, went to be with our Lord Wednesday, September 21, 2016 in Fort Worth.

Funeral is 2:00 p.m. Sunday, September 25, 2016 at Decatur Church of Christ with burial in Oaklawn Cemetery. Family will receive friends 6-8 p.m. Saturday at the Hawkins Funeral Home Decatur.

Rev. Rick Ross, Mike McDowell and Phillip Askey will officiate. Pallbearers include Jimmy Smith, Gary Davis, Faron Hightower, James Wood, Doyle Lowe, Don Younger and George Rule. Honorary pallbearers are Glenn Rhine, Dan Rhine, Rodney Lisby, Ross Mueller, Gary Cooper, Winston Hansma, and Brady Bowen.

Wayne was born on March 28, 1944 to Jack and Lorene (Williams) Long in Gorman, Texas. He was united in marriage to Lynn Biggs on June 26, 1964 in Acuna, Mexico. Wayne was a member of the Decatur Church of Christ.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his stepfathers, Curley Rogers and Glen Richey; his grandparents, Homer and Becky Williams.

His story started in 1944, 3 miles North of the Comanche County Courthouse in a little frame house at the end of a peanut field.  It ended 72 years later, his ranch overlooking Decatur, Texas from the West.  Throughout those storied 72 years he was known for his business skills, his civic involvement, and his love for his family and friends.  He founded Long Oil Company in the late 1960s and, working side by side with his wife, built the fuel distributorship into one of the strongest in the nation.  He sold that company in the early 90s and started to invest in Wise County real estate, but began chasing his dream of ranching.  He was known across Texas for his integrity and his handshake, from sale barns to feedlots to trading pens. 

In the early 1980s, Wayne began showing cutting horses and, like his business career, left his mark on the sport.  The family affair, now having run three generations deep, has garnered (2) NCHA World Champion titles, (4) NCHA Reserve World Champion Titles, (2) AQHA World Titles, (3) ACHA World Titles, and a staggering (24) NCHA Year End Top Ten Appearances.  The NCHA Limited Aged Event Wins, circuit titles from coast to coast, NCHA Affiliate Titles, NCHA Area 9 Titles, saddles, trophy buckles, and Jim Reno trophies would be impossible to calculate.  Wayne Long was instrumental in the 80s, with the help of trusted confidante Faron Hightower, to bringing the Shorty Lena bred horses to the NCHA forefront.  A line of breeding that produced legendary champions like Ms. Shorty Lena, Gangalena, and many others.  Standout names in NCHA history like Son’s Pitchfork, Playboy Olena, Pam’s Moon Bar, Lena Leo War Lady, Magic Lynx, Ginger Freckles, Little Tanquerrey, and Droopy’s Jewel  passed through Wayne Long’s barn and ownership.  Wayne climbed into the NCHA Non Pro Top Ten in 1987, the only year he tried to achieve that level of weekend cutting.  In 2003 aboard Sheza Cuttin’ Cat, Wayne Long captured the NCHA Derby Title, his largest win.  It came just nine short weeks after his first of two major hip replacements.  A fact that captured the attention of both ESPN and the medical community.  Videos of that run have been shown to replacement candidates ever since.  His son Wayland was a two time NCHA World Champion.  His daughter Lisa Long, won the AQHA World Champion Amateur Title in 1997 and his wife Lynn, won the 2007 AQHA Bayer Select Amateur World Title.  At the time of his passing, Wayne’s NCHA Equi-Stat Lifetime Earnings were 979,000 dollars and he joined his son Wayland as a member of the National Cutting Horse Association Hall of Fame.  One of the very few parent-sibling combos to achieve the NCHA’s highest level.  

He served the NCHA as a National Director and NCHA Judge for several years, was a past president of both the North Texas and West Central Cutting Horse Affiliates, two of the most powerful in the industry at one time.  He served the Decatur Volunteer Fire Department for 18 years and was elected chief twice.  He was a past President of the Wise County Youth Fair Board, served for years in the Wise County Sheriff’s Posse and was the 1976 Citizen of the Year in Decatur.  Perhaps locally, the thing Wayne Long was most known for was his willingness to help somebody and never want any credit.  This was a mantra of his throughout his life in Decatur and Wise County.

Those left behind to cherish his memory are his wife of 52 years, Lynn Biggs Long of Decatur, Texas; his daughter, Lisa Long Bradshaw and husband Steve of Decatur; his son, Wayland Long and wife Carrie of Poolville; his grandchildren; Libby, Abby and Binion Long, Zach, Kyle, and Shelby Bradshaw, Lyndi and Lauryn Luttrull; his great grandchild, Kutter Bradshaw; his sisters, Geneva Ridgeway and husband Paul, Lou Hitt and husband Roger, Sue Mercer and husband Clifford; numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and a host of friends.

Memorials may be made to Wise Hope Shelter, 608 N. Business 287, Decatur, Texas, 76234.

Hawkins Funeral Home, Decatur, Texas, 940-627-5959

www.hawkinsfuneralhome.com

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